Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-10-29
A HARD BARGAIN.
BY
CHAPTER III.

III.
There was still the strange look in my
hosts eyes-a sort of passionate and
eager longing. -
II am very well, thank you, sir, and
more grateful than I can tell you."
Hang the gratitude! Tell me if you
feel any sense of repletion? Does the
blood seem mounting to the heads Are
you quite free from any giddiness? No
thickness in the speech? It's wonderful,
it's p%rovidential, my finding you. Such
windfall; and just when I most wanted it.
Our blessings truly come when We least
expect them"
This was strange language, but the
whoie proceedings were so strange that I
hardly noticed it. Besides, I was ex-
tremely comfortable after my dinner and
disposed to rest.
"Now:" he went on, while you arc
digesting-by the way the digestion is, 1
trust, unimpaired by drink or excess?
Quite so, and what I expected in so good
n 80 gifted a young man! Like an
ostrich, as you say. Ho, hol ha, ha! like
an ostrich! 1t is. indeed, too much. Tell
me, now, something, gently and dispas.
slonately, SO as not to injure your diges-
ton, about your history" =
told him all. When l related my
simple story he interrupted now and then
with some fresh question on the growth,
the endurance, the regularity of my appe-
tite, to which l gave satisfactory nswer
When I had quite finished he went to the
table, noticed then that all traces of the
dinner had disappeared-and laid out q
document, by which he placed q pen.
Then he drew a chair, sat down in front
OF me and assumed a serious air.
.:COma ~ ha soil naram ntor;lv I.lot nc
get now to business"
l had not the smallest notion what the
business was, but I bowed and waited.
Perhaps he was going to offer me a clerk
ship. Visions Of a large salary, to suit
my expansive appetite, came across my
brain.
I'm your CASE he began, 1.-THE possess
sion of so great an appetite must he, at
tended with serious Inconvenience. YOu
have no money, in q few hours you will
he hungry again: you will en%dureigreat
pain and suffering, greater than is felt by
men less largely endowed with the great
est blessings mean with appetite"
Yes said, sit is q great trouble to
me-, this twist of mine, especially when I
am hard up"
He almost jumped out Of his chair.
Why, there" he cried, 'what is the
tSS VI NolHS. We are uSECCU llrc0uy.
Nothing could be more fortunate. Let us
have no more beating about the bush.
Young man, I will rid you of this nui-
sance; | will buy your appetite of YOU
only stared. Was the old gentleman
mad?
ut is IL strange offer, l Know" he went
on, "a strange offer, and you have proba-
bly, never heard Il more remarkable one.
But it is genuine. 7 will buy vour uppe.
title Of you"
Buy my-buy my Appetite
Nothing easier. Read this"
lie gave me the paper which lie had
laid Oh the table, prepared in readiness, |
suppose, FOR me. 1t was as follows:
Il, Luke L.ucraft. being in sound mind
and in good health, and of the mature age
Of "A. do voluntarily and of my own free
will and accord agree and promise to re-
sign my appetite entirely and altogether
for the use of Ebenezer Grumbelow from
the day and hour of the execution of this
deed. In return whereof I agree to uc-
cept u monthly allowance Of $50, also to
date from the of signature, with
a sun Of ESQ, to be placed in my hands.
l promise also that l will carefully study
to preserve by regular habits and exercise
the gift OF Il generous appetite: that | will
not work iminodcrately, sit up late, prac.
ticc vicious courses, Or do anything that
may tend to impair the regular recurrence
Of a healthy and vigorous hunger"
Then followed Il place for the signature
and one for the witnesses.
You See he went on, II ask for no
unpleasant condition. l give you a free
life, coupled with the simple condition of
ordinary care. DO You agree:'
IL hardly know; it is so sudden"
Come. come'-he spoke with q harsh
ness quite new-"come, let us nave no
nonsense of that sort. DO you agree"
| read it over again.
Give me o little time," I said. s'Let
me reflect till tomorrow morning."
:'Refect!" His face flushed purple,
and his bloodshot eyes literally glarel.
''Rcflect! what the devil does the boy
want to reflect abouts Has he got q
penny, q friend, or a chance in the whole
world? l will give you five minutes.
come He rose up and stood before me.
AS l looked in his face a curious dimness
M over my eyes; he seemed to recede
before me; he disappeared altogether.
When l heard him speak again his voice
sounded far, far off, but thin and clear, as
if it came through some long tube. Luke
Lucraft.' it said, ''sec yourself"
Yes, l saw myself, and though outside
of what l saw, l felt the same emotions as
if l had been the actual performer in the
scenes l witnessed.
1 was standing where the old gentleman
met me-, starving still, and suffering pangs
far worse than those under which I
groaned at 3 O'Clock. The day was ad-
vanced; the diners had all gone away, and
the dining room walters were putting up
the shutters. l spoke to one of them
timidly. I told him I had eaten nothing
since the morning, and begged for a plate
OF broken victuals. He looked in my face,
called a brother servant, and they kicked
in London fifty years ago. Then l skunk
away, and wandered somewhere among
the winding streets and lanes of the old
city. London at night was not so empty
and deserted as it is now and the streets
had people in them. Some of them were
we'll dressed-the wealthy merchants had
not, even then, all left OF living in the
city: some were clerks going home; some
were women out for an evenings walk.
The bells rang out the hours from the city
clocks, and l crept along the walls wonder
ing what would become Of me. and how I
stcull find an end Of my present misery.
Then I begged. Took of my hat and
held it in my hand while I asked for some
thing-anything-the smallest coin that
would get a piece of bread.
The men passed me by with pitiless and
unbelieving eyes. Heavens! if they had
been hungry once, only once, in all their
lives, they would never again have refused
the petition Of beggar, even though he
was the most lying mendicant who ever
disgraced the words of charity which
passed his lips. But they gave me nothing.